Me, Myself, and Reese
by Raphael Comet
Summary: A story about how Kazuhara "Kaz" Kobayashi / Castel "Caz" Cupidski first met Reese Barkhorn and their ensuing friendship. Brings Kaz/Caz to right before the events of "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist - Side Kaz". Kaz and Reese are OCs from D&D sessions I was in.


It was the end of another hard day's work and Kaz was closing up shop for the evening. She was a member of the Kitsune race with orange fur, white hair, and luscious green eyes. She currently worked at a weapons shop called the Artistic Armory, though it wasn't an ordinary store. In actuality, it acted as a front for an assassin's guild referred to simply as "the Guild". Even though Kaz was a member of the Guild, she wasn't an assassin like its core members; she just provided support to them. Whenever a Guild member came by the store, she allowed them access to a secret stock of merchandise which was reserved only for them only. The rest of the stock in the storefront was open to the general public, which was how the Guild made some of its funds.

After letting out a tired yet relieved sigh, Kaz hurriedly went upstairs to her living quarters and transformed into her human form. As a Kitsune, she had the ability to disguise herself and transform at-will into a human whose appearance reflected her true self. While in her human form, she had the same white hair, though styled a bit differently and the same green eyes. Other than that, she was completely different with a fair complexion, a slightly higher-pitched voice, and a somewhat shorter height.

Shortly after beginning her employment with the Guild, she found that it was best to live two separate lives if she wanted to experience anything resembling a normal life. At first, things were fine as she worked during the day and relaxed afterwards in her fox form, not having any real need to use her human disguise. Then as word spread of her employment at the rumored Guild front, things began to change.

The Guild was well-known in the criminal underworld and rumored about heavily in the common populace. The authorities knew of its existence but had an unspoken agreement to let them do as they please, mainly stemming from the difficulty of catching them committing any crimes. Also, officials feared the looming threat of being assassinated by one of its many members if they meddled too much into their affairs. As a result, they tried not to give the Guild a hard time if they could help it.

Because of the stigma with being associated with the Guild, Kaz found it difficult to socialize and overall live a normal life. Every time she went to a tavern to have a drink, people began to gossip, saying things like she was associated with the Guild or she could have an assassin buddy of hers come after them if they made her angry. This caused people to stay away from her when all she wanted to do was socialize and make friends. It weighed on her and caused her not to want to go out in a public anymore. Then she came up with a plan to solve everything.

To remedy her dilemma, she turned to her human form and created an alter ego. While at work conducting Guild affairs, she'd stay in her fox form and present herself to the world as Kazuhara "Kaz" Kobayashi, Guild weapons merchant and her more-or-less real self; however, when she'd go out to socialize and have fun, she'd go in her human form as Castel "Caz" Cupidski, a normal, fun-loving girl. And to her surprise, it worked like a charm, though, staying in her human form for too long had serious side-effects.

It was indeed true that Kitsunes could transform into humans on a whim, but it was meant to be used sparingly. If they lingered too long in their other form, they could develop a dissociative identity disorder and lose track of reality. The person's mind would begin to deteriorate as they lost sight of who they truly were, but Kaz didn't need to worry about that. She only used her human form every now and then and in safe intervals.

Having just switched into her human form, Caz got changed into casual attire and retrieved her rapier before heading back downstairs and onto the streets of Waterdeep. It was time to finally relax and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. She was so busy that day that she barely got any time to have lunch or take a break, but work was finally over with. Now she had the remainder of the day to spend on herself, and what better way to do that than to visit her favorite recreational establishment in the entire city.

As Caz entered through the front door, she immediately smiled with anticipation as an assortment of sounds rang in her ears. The chatter of people, the movement of feet on the floor, but most importantly, the clanging of metal against metal. Caz made her way inside a building that had a sign above the door labeled "Formal Fighters", which was a club for dueling enthusiasts and weapon aficionados. She first heard about it from one of her customers and decided to check it out one day. Ever since then, she couldn't stop going and eventually became a regular there, often visiting after her work at the Artistic Armory was done for the day. Inside the building, she greeted those who said hello to her and made her way through the crowd. Not wanting to miss out on the next fight, she hurried to the main dueling area to see if a match was going to start.

Caz squeezed through the club members already huddled around there and found a spot to watch in the small wooden spectator's seating area. She adjusted the sword at her side as she took a seat, looking to the two competitors about to face off in a duel. One of them she only recognized as an amateur and really didn't follow him, but the other, the other was a renowned member of the club and considered one of the best around. His name was Reese Barkhorn and used a rapier as his primary and sole weapon of choice. That was probably why Caz was such a big fan of his. Not because he won a lot or was mildly attractive, but because rapiers were her favorite weapon of them all.

Caz patiently sat in her seat, eagerly waiting to see him in action with a wide grin on her face. As she was watching him warm up, their eyes suddenly met which caused her to suddenly look away. Thinking back, she could've sworn that he had smiled at her, but when she glanced back to him, he was completely focused on his opponent with a determined look on his face. Perhaps she was imagining things and settled back down, ready to watch the fight unfold. Like with all his fights, she was amazed by his movements and fighting style. He was so precise and technical in his attacks and his footwork was spot on. He quickly made easy work of his opponent after which the audience cheered, including Caz. Being a good sport, Reese helped his opponent to his feet and patted him on the back, congratulating him on a good match.

Caz continued to clap and watched as Reese began walking away while giving the crowd a small wave. Suddenly, her celebration ceased and she began to get nervous as he began to change course, heading directly towards her. Wondering what he could want, she quickly fixed her hair and made sure she was presentable, giving him an awkward smile. When he arrived beside her, Caz cleared her throat and congratulated him on his victory.

"That was, uh- That was a good match… as always," said Caz.

Reese stopped in front of her and gave her a smile. "Oh, why thank you," he said before bending down and retrieving his bag.

Caz glanced away and frowned, realizing that it wasn't her that he was walking over for but instead his bag. When she looked back to him, he was gazing right at her with an inviting smile.

"So, do you want to spar with me?" asked Reese.

"S- Spar!? You mean, like, with swords?" asked Caz, completely caught off guard by the invitation.

"Well… this is a duelist club, so yeah. You have one, don't you?" asked Reese as he gestured to Caz's rapier at her side.

Caz looked to her sword then back to him. "Oh, that? Well, I, um- I only really come around here to admire other people's weapons and watch others duel. I'm not much of a fighter myself," she said.

"C'mon, I know you want to. I can see it in your eyes," said Reese. "Every time I fight, you're always there in the crowd, watching intently as the fight unfolds. And not just me. I've seen you watching other duelists fight with just as much fervor. You want to give it a shot, don't you?"

Caz began to blush after hearing that he had noticed her in the crowd several times before. "Oh, um, uh- But I've never sparred against anyone before, especially someone of your caliber," she said.

"We all have to start somewhere. Besides, I'll take you to one of the reserved training areas for special members. We won't be bothered there and you won't have to worry about people watching you," said Reese as he outstretched his hand.

Having such a generous offer put before her, Caz couldn't resist and agreed with a simple nod. She took his hand as he helped her down from the bleachers.

"Do you have a training cover for your sword?" asked Reese as he began to lead Caz away from the main dueling arena.

Caz shook her head and said she didn't. She never intended on fighting and never got one when she first joined the club.

"All right then. Let's get you outfitted before we start," said Reese as he led her over to the club's quartermaster.

Members who wanted to train at the club had to have special covers for their weapons. They were made of lightweight leather and were specially tailored for each member's weapons. The covers only added a small amount of weight to the weapon but most members didn't mind, citing that it helped with physical conditioning. During exhibition matches and challenges, the covers were removed, but the participants still exercised extreme caution; killing or maiming was not allowed at the club.

When Reese and Caz arrived at the quartermaster, he used his influence within the club to get her cover fashioned right there and then, free of charge. "Okay. He said he could make one right away for you. Let me see your weapon," said Reese as he looked to Caz. Caz was hesitant at first but complied, carefully unsheathing her sword and handing it to him in a safe manner. Reese took the sword and gave it a quick look over. "This is a nice sword. Where'd you get it, might I ask?" he said before passing it over to the quartermaster.

"Oh, that? I, um. I got- A friend. A friend gave it to me…," said Caz, not wanting to tell him the truth. She had actually bought it herself from the special stock at the Artistic Armory, but she couldn't tell him that.

"Is that so? Well, I'd like to meet this friend of yours. She seems to have good taste," said Reese as he looked back to the quartermaster to see how his progress was going.

"Yeah… maybe one day," said Caz to herself with a slight chuckle, the friend she was referring to being herself in her fox form.

Once the cover was ready, Reese took the sword back from the quartermaster along with the leather sheath. He inspected the quartermaster's handiwork and made sure the cover fit perfectly on the blade. After it passed his satisfaction, Reese turned back to Caz. "Ah, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet. The name's Reese, Reese Barkhorn," he said as he held out his hand for a friendly shake, holding Caz's sword in the other.

Caz smiled meekly and shook his hand, retrieving her sword with the other. "My- My name's Castel, but you can just call me Caz if you'd like," she said before examining her sword to make sure it wasn't damaged while it was in someone else's care, albeit only briefly. "But of course, everyone knows your name already, so… yeah."

"Caz it is then," said Reese as he gave her a smile. "Now that you've got your cover, follow me."

Caz obliged and followed after him, heading to a different part of the club. Reese led her over to a secluded training area reserved for special members. The area wasn't being used so the two had it all to themselves. Reese placed his bag off to the side while Caz stood uncomfortably at the edge of the mats. After taking his place on the mat, he looked to Caz and smiled, gesturing for her to join him. She cautiously stepped on and took her place across from him on the mat, gripping her sword in hand with the leather cover securely fitted on the blade. It felt heavier than she was used to, but she'd adjust somehow.

"So… are there any rules I should be aware of?" asked Caz before they began, still getting a feel for her blade's new weight.

Reese thought for a moment, always having been subconsciously aware of them and never really giving them any thought. "Rules? The rules. Right. First off, the leather cover stays on. We're not aiming to harm one another so safety first. Two, respect your opponent. No cheap shots like aiming for the face or… more sensitive areas. And three, if an opponent yields, you absolutely may not attack them. Simple as that," he said while making sure his own leather cover was secured. It was a lot more worn and beat-up than Caz's brand-new one, meaning he had practiced with it for quite a while.

Caz gave him a nod in acknowledgment then gulped, apprehensive about fighting one of the best duelists the club had to offer. She wasn't exactly a complete novice when it came to handling swords and other edged weapons. Being surrounded by them at work, she'd often take a sword and play around with it in the back where no one could see her. She became accustomed to how they felt in her hand, especially the one she owned and was currently using. Even so, she had never sparred against anyone so this was all new to her. It slightly intimidated her but her enthusiasm outweighed that feeling.

"You ready, Caz?" asked Reese, staring her down as he took a starting stance.

Caz exhaled and psyched herself up, mimicking his stance as she readied her weapon. "Ready," she said.

The duel was quick and decisive. Reese did his best to give Caz opening after opening, but she couldn't manage to take advantage of any of them. It was clear she had never dueled before and it showed. After she was soundly defeated, Reese went over to her.

"That wasn't… completely awful," said Reese as he helped her up. "How do feel?"

Caz was completely out of breath and sore all over from swinging her weapon so much. She took his hand and got back on her feet, dusting herself off. "You're just- You're just too good," she said in-between ragged breaths. "But surprisingly, I feel great. That was really fun."

"I'm glad to see you're not discouraged by the experience," said Reese with a chuckle. "So, I've got an offer for you if you'd care to hear me out."

Caz finally caught her breath and looked to him. "An offer?" she asked with her hands on her hips, curious to hear what he had to say.

Reese smiled and stood his sword on its point in front of him, resting his hands on top of each other on the pommel. "If you'd like, and as long as you keep coming back, I can train you in the art of swordfighting. No charge, no catch," he said.

Caz looked at him, confused slightly by the unwarranted offer. "…train me? But why me? Surely you have better things to do than waste your time on a nobody like me," she said.

Reese shrugged his shoulders then took his sword back in his hand, starting back towards his bag. "If that's a no, then…," he said before stopping to glance over his shoulder at her.

Seeing him begin to walk away, Caz called out to him. "Wait! I mean, it's not that I don't want to. I would love to train under you. It's just- Why me?" she asked, always wanting to learn how to properly use the tools of death that surrounded her nearly her entire life.

Reese just looked at her then turned back to his bag, crouching down to pick it back up. "I like the look in your eye. You've got spunk," he said before slinging it over his shoulder. "Meet me here at the same time and I'll train you, for as long as you want. I'll teach you everything I know then someday, you'll become a great duelist yourself." He then gave her a wave before heading towards the club's front door, heading on home for the evening.

Caz watched as he walked away, leaving her on the training mat all by her lonesome. Once he was gone and out of sight, she smiled to herself, unable to contain the happiness within her. She promised that she'd try her hardest and make him proud. After regaining her composure, she retrieved her things and headed back home.

#

Over time, Caz and Reese became closer as friends, beginning their relationship as master and apprentice then eventually moving on to something more. She continued to visit the club daily and enthusiastically learned from his instruction. She became quite adapt with the rapier as her skills drastically improved since they first met. She was nowhere near his level of expertise, but she was making slow and steady progress.

One day, the club was closed and unable to be accessed by the general public. Being a respected member, Reese was given private access so he wouldn't miss a training session with Caz. The two had the club nearly all to themselves as they engaged in their usual training regimen.

"You're just too good," said Caz after they finished up another practice duel. She had her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

In front of her, Reese hadn't even broken a sweat as he recovered to his starting position. "At least you're getting better. I can see the improvement being made," he said as he turned his back to her.

Seeing an opportunity, Caz lunged out at him with her sword. "Never turn your back to your opponent!" she said with a smirk.

Not falling for her attack, Reese skillfully turned around and parried the strike. He then performed a leg-sweep and grapple combination, throwing Caz to the practice mat below her. Since they had gotten closer during their training sessions, he wasn't as afraid as he used to be when it came to being physical with her. Caz smacked the floor beneath her and soon found Reese positioned on top of her with his covered blade placed right by her neck.

"True, but you should also never attack an opponent in the back, at least while you're here at the club," said Reese. "I'm sure I'm not the one who taught you something as dishonorable as that."

Caz huffed, having being bested once again. "I was just going to tap you on the head. It wasn't like I was going to actually hit you," she said with her head turned away.

When she turned back to Reese, he was staring deeply into her eyes, his demeanor subtly different than before. He removed the sword from her neck and placed it on the ground beside them, still hovering over her while keeping eye contact with her. Caz's heart was beating fast as he stared at her and her at him. He then began to move closer until their faces were mere inches apart. Caz's cheeks went bright red and she was completely paralyzed with excitement. Before she could utter a word, Reese moved in and kissed her on the lips. Never having done that before, Caz responded in kind and kissed him back. As the two remained on the floor together, they spent the rest of the evening training while exploring different moves and techniques.

#

After that night, the two began to date and continued to train with the sword together at the club, keeping their new relationship mostly discrete and away from the public eye. They weren't ashamed of it but instead wanted to keep things professional when they were at the club. While together, they never talked about work and neither of them offered to bring the other back to their place of residence. Kaz was afraid of Reese finding out that she worked at the Artistic Armory so she never brought him back home, which was right above the establishment. She wanted to keep her ties to the Guild as concealed as possible to avoid possibly scaring him off.

Everything was going fine until one day, Reese decided to show up at her shop unexpectedly. Kaz was working in the backroom taking care of inventory when her mentor suddenly called out for her.

"Hey, Kaz! Could you come out here and help this gentleman? I'm busy with another customer," said her mentor and current manager of the store.

"Coming!" said Kaz before giving a huff, not liking to be disturbed while in the middle of doing a task. She shuffled around in the back and headed for the front. As she pushed aside the curtain covering the doorway to the backroom, she stopped and quickly went back in, peeking an eye through the gap between the piece of cloth and the doorframe before completely hiding around the corner. Reese was standing right there browsing some of the merchandise and hadn't seen her yet. She wondered what he was doing there and began to panic. Peeping out once more, she saw him wearing some sort of badge then instantly recognized it as belonging to the City Watch. Her anxiety only increased as she discovered that Reese worked for the authorities of Waterdeep. Had she been found out?

Kaz was too afraid to move until her mentor called for her once more, a bit less patient than before. She looked down and remembered that she was in her fox form and Reese hadn't seen her like that yet. Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer and further annoy her mentor, she regained her composure and got into character. She exhaled once more then put on a stern face, heading out into the front of the shop. She looked to Reese and stood behind the counter in front of him.

"Welcome to the Artistic Armory. I'm Kaz. How can I help you?" she asked, placing her hands on the counter top.

Having been addressed by someone new, Reese looked up and saw Kaz standing before him. "I'm sorry, but did you say your name was… Kaz?" he asked.

"Yes. Kaz. Short for Kazuhara. Now, is there something I can assist you with?" she asked as she struggled to keep eye contact with him.

Reese shook off the coincidence in their similar sounding names and continued with his business. "Apologies. I just know someone else by that name, a girl named Castel who also goes by Caz," he said.

Kaz smirked, wanting to capitalize on the opportunity to interrogate him about what he really thought of her. "Oh, is that so. Is she… a nice girl?" asked Kaz. Her mentor gave her a sideways glance but she just brushed him off as to tell him to mind his own business. Unfortunately for her, Reese didn't take the bait.

"Indeed, she is. But I'm not here to talk about my personal life. I'm here on official City Watch business," said Reese as he reached into his coat pocket.

"But of course. My apologies, mister…?" asked Kaz.

"Sorry. I have a bad habit of not introducing myself. It's Barkhorn, Detective Barkhorn," said Reese as he pulled out an item from his pocket. He placed the object on the counter and removed the piece of cloth it was wrapped in. "If you'd be so kind, I came here looking for your expertise. I just wanted to confirm that this dagger is indeed a fake and a counterfeit. It's a piece of evidence in a case I'm working, so any help you could provide would be much appreciated."

Kaz gave him a smirk then looked to the dagger. She gave it a once over then picked it up to give it a closer inspection. "Yup, it's a fake," she said after placing it back down on the counter. "You can tell by the minor discoloration and the impurity in the metals used in the blade. It's close, but not quite a perfect replica."

Reese gave an approving smile, taking the knife and wrapping it back up in its cloth cover. "Thank you very much. That was quite impressive. You seem to know a lot about weapons, Ms. Kaz," he said, pocketing the item back in his coat.

"Oh, well… I've got the old geezer over there to thank for all that," said Kaz as she gestured playfully to her mentor. "But I guess he can't take all the credit. I take great pride in my work and I like to think that my passion about weapons shows it."

"Indeed it does. You're very knowledgeable and I was impressed by your quick assessment of the weapon in question," said Reese.

"Why thank you," said Kaz, basking in the flattery. "So, you a fan of fake weapons there, Detective?"

Reese was about to turn to leave but then stopped. "What makes you say that?" he asked, turning back to her.

Kaz gave him a smile and casually pointed to the knife sheathed on his belt. "That blade right there. It's fake as well," she said, resting her elbows on the counter with her chin on her hands.

Reese looked to the dagger on his belt then back to Kaz. "This? I'm sorry, but this is no fake. I can assure you," he said.

Kaz raised an eyebrow and gave him an unconvinced look, motioning for him to let her see the blade up close. Staggered by the accusation though curious, he gave in and took the blade out from its sheath, handing it over to Kaz handle first. She snatched the blade out of his hand and inspected it with close precision. "This a Ducarte blade?" she asked while looking it over.

"Why yes, it is. I got it from a certified vendor," said Reese with a definite tone in his voice. As soon as he said that, Kaz let out a chuckle as did her mentor slightly from nearby.

"Really? A certified vendor?" asked Kaz as she looked from the blade to Reese.

"That's what I said, didn't I?" said Reese as he began to get concerned.

"Well then. This, my good man, is definitely a fake," said Kaz as she played with the dagger in her hands.

"How can you tell? It's certified and-," said Reese before being cut off.

"First off, you can tell by the subtle inconsistencies here and here," said Kaz as she showed her findings to Reese. "At first, I thought it was just due to wear and tear but then I found this, the second red flag." She took the blade and positioned it on her finger right between the blade and the handle. The weapon was tilted off to the side slightly towards the blade end. "The blade isn't perfectly balanced, as all Ducarte blades should be." She then let the blade fall to the counter, the dagger sticking directly upwards as the point embedded itself in the wood. "But the biggest give-away was what you said just there. There is no such thing as a 'certified Ducarte vendor'. The renowned weaponsmith makes his weapons and sells them himself, so you, sir, got conned. All in all, it's a fine blade, but as far as being an authentic item, it's a mere piece of trash in a collector's eyes."

Reese just stood there and took it all in, completely blown away by Kaz's expert findings and the fact that he was duped into buying a fake of his own. He simply smiled and thanked Kaz for her time, taking the blade from the counter and sheathing it back on his belt. "Well, thank you, Ms. Kaz, for your time and letting me know it was a fake," he said before turning towards the exit. "I should be heading off then. And thank you again for your assistance in my investigation."

Kaz smiled as she watched him turn away, finally being better than Reese at something. "If you want something to replace your piece of trash phony, all our merchandise is guaranteed authentic!" she said, mocking him as he left.

Reese stopped momentarily then continued walking. "That won't be necessary, miss," he said with an amused chuckle.

"Suit yourself. Just don't let the door hit ya on your way out," said Kaz from behind the counter. As Reese stopped through the doorway to hear what she said, the door slammed closed on his face.

After work that day, Kaz decided to head to the club once more despite knowing that Reese was a detective with the City Watch. She still wanted to continue dating him and attend training sessions at the club, but she was more self-conscious than ever before about her secrets and keeping them hidden. She also began to become more wary while around him, watching what she said and did as to not give herself away.

It was already late in the evening and the two were wrapping things up at the club. "You seem more chipper today. Did something happen?" asked Caz as she looked to Reese sitting next to her.

Reese paused, smiling to himself as he remembered his encounter with Kaz at the Artistic Armory earlier that day. "Oh, nothing. Just learned something new today is all," he said before continuing to clean his sword with a cloth.

Caz continued to push the topic, wanting to hear more about what he thought about their meeting. "Something new? Do tell," she said, scooting closer to him at the table.

Reese sighed and relented, placing his sword and cleaning cloth down on the table. "Well, if you must know, I was in a weapon shop earlier today and the merchant there told me that my prized dagger, the one I had bought a long time ago and valued, was in fact a fake," he said, still barely able to believe it himself.

Caz smiled, knowing all too well what had transpired in the store earlier that day. "Wow that sucks. How did the merchant know it was a fake?" she asked, waiting patiently for Reese to unknowingly start complimenting her.

Reese then began recounting everything Kaz had told him about the weapon, going into specifics about how she could discern that it was a fake. He went on and on about how knowledgeable she was and how impressed he was by it. All the while, Caz just sat there, soaking it all in as her seemingly more talented boyfriend finally had something he wasn't good at that she was. In the end, Caz was nearly overwhelmed by the indirect praise.

"So, she must really be something special, huh?" asked Caz, giving him a playful wink.

"You have no idea. I've never met anyone as passionate about weapons as her," said Reese. He then glanced at Caz who was giving him an annoyed pout, her arms crossed over her chest. "Ah, besides you, of course. No one compares to you when it comes to passion about weapons."

Caz smiled, playfully nudging his arm. "But of course," she said.

"Now that you mention it, you two might become good friends if you met. And surprisingly, she also went by Kaz though her name was Kazuhara and not Castel like you," said Reese.

"Perhaps," said Caz with a shrug. "Though, I didn't know you were into foxes."

"…I never said that she was a Kitsune," said Reese as he finished putting all his gear away.

Caz went silent, beginning to tremble after having potentially outed herself. She then quickly cleared her throat and tried to divert the unwanted attention. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant more like she must've been pretty physically attractive, like foxy, if you're going to gush this much about her," she said. "But she's a Kitsune? That's cool. Don't see too many of those around here." She then nervously chuckled, trying her best to throw him off the scent.

"Indeed you don't…," said Reese as he eyed Caz more closely, the cogs in his detective brain beginning to turn.

Caz began to lose her cool and panicked. "Well! Look at the time! It's sure getting late so I'm going to head home and get ready for bed! See ya later!" she said as she hurriedly gathered her things before getting up from the table.

Before Reese could say anything, she was already on her way out of the building. He just sat there for a moment, wondering what just happened. He then noticed Caz had dropped her dueling glove and picked it up, grabbing his things as he hurried to catch up to her. He made it outside just in time and caught a glimpse of Caz turning a corner. At first, he went after her to return the glove before she got home, but then he decided to tail her back there and surprise her at the front door to return it. He was curious to see where she lived, so he tried not to let her know he was following her. As he kept his distance and slowed his pace while following her back home, he began to recognize his surroundings. Before he knew it, he was back at the Artistic Armory.

Reese watched from afar as Caz went behind the store and used the employee entrance which he assumed led to the living quarters upstairs. He wondered if she actually lived there and moved out from hiding to get a better view. Perhaps she was present earlier and he just didn't see her or maybe she was hiding when he and Kaz were talking. The cogs in his mind continued to turn as he crept closer to where Caz was, remaining as inconspicuous as he could. Several possibilities found their way into his thoughts and being a detective, he considered every one of them despite how ridiculous they sounded. Unable to put his mind at ease, he had to find out the truth.

Reese scanned his surroundings and noticed a tree adjacent to the storefront that had a perfect vantage point into the upstairs window. Seeing no other alternatives, he let out a sigh and reassured himself that he wasn't a pervert; he just needed to do some investigative work was all. He snuck over to the tree and placed his bag down before starting his climb. He easily made it up amongst the branches, using the foliage to hide himself. He had a clear line-of-sight into what he assumed was Caz's room.

Shortly after he got into position, Caz came through the bedroom door and shut it behind her, looking somewhat distressed. The sun had already gone down but the faint light from a candle in the room made it possible for him to see her face. Reese remained motionless as he observed her from his hiding spot, making sure not to make any sounds. Inside the bedroom, Caz dropped her things off at her desk then sighed out loud, standing motionless for a few moments behind her desk chair.

After nothing seemed to be happening, Reese thought maybe he was overthinking things and was about to head home, but then it suddenly happened. He watched in disbelief as the girl he knew as Caz transformed seamlessly into the person named Kaz he had met earlier. So the rumors about Kitsunes were true, thought Reese to himself as Kaz began to move about the room.

Just as Kaz stepped away from her desk, she heard a crash come from outside as the branch Reese was hiding on snapped, causing him to fall to the ground. Reese quickly grabbed his bag and got back onto his feet, fleeing the scene before he was discovered. Just as he was able to get out of sight, Kaz appeared in the window, wondering what all the noise was about. The area outside her window was completely dark so she just shrugged and closed her window.

Once Kaz was gone, Reese looked back to the window after catching his breath. He couldn't believe that Caz and Kaz were the same person, but after giving it some thought, the clues were there in plain sight. Even after only meeting Kaz in her fox form once, he could see the similarities. They were both passionate about weapons and both had like sounding nicknames. They both had similar mannerisms and speech patterns which he picked up on, but most importantly, it was her eyes that gave it away. He could recognize Caz's emerald eyes anywhere and he could've sworn that Kaz had the same, which she in fact did. The more he thought about it, the more things began to connect.

Reese chuckled to himself before getting a hold of his thoughts. He didn't care if they were the same person, he still loved Caz for who she was, more so even after discovering that the lovely weapon merchant named Kaz was also her. He smiled and realized he was still holding on to her glove. Perhaps he'd pay her a visit at the store tomorrow and return it then. He continued to smile as he brushed himself off, heading back home to turn in for the night. Even though he had discovered her secret, he decided to keep the fact to himself and would wait for her to tell him when she was good and ready.

The next day, Kaz was manning the shop alone while her mentor was out of town on official business. She could barely keep her eyes open as she didn't get a good night's sleep. Her head was swimming of thoughts about Reese and whether or not he knew her secret. She yawned as she just stood there in an empty store. It had been a slow day and she barely had any customers. She couldn't just go into the backroom and do something else to preoccupy herself as someone had to man the counter at all times. It was a real drag. As she was about to nod off for the umpteenth time, a bell chimed signaling that a customer had entered though the front door. Kaz's ears perked up as she fought off her drowsiness for now.

"Welcome to the Artistic Armory. I'm… Kaz. How can I help-," said Kaz, but suddenly she stopped as she watched Reese approach her at the counter. "Oh, hello there, Detective. How- How can I help you today?" she asked with a nervous tone, her drowsiness completely gone for the moment.

Reese wasn't wearing his City Watch badge and was seemingly there off duty. Before coming there, he did some research using his office's reference files and found out a lot about Kaz and the business where she worked at. He discovered that the Artistic Armory was a front for the Guild and that she was a member of said guild. The file detailed the Guild's background, the Artistic Armory's history, and even Kaz as an employee of the shop. Surprisingly, the file had nothing on Caz or her being the same person as Kaz. He kept all the information a secret and promised he'd continue to do so until Caz told him herself.

"Good afternoon… Ms. Kazuhara, was it?" asked Reese, completely knowing who Kaz was.

Kaz smiled and gave a nod. "Yup. That's me. Or just Kaz, if you prefer. Now was there something you needed, or…?" she asked, happy yet anxious to see him again.

"Actually, I'm here on a personal matter this time," said Reese as he reached into his coat pocket. "Does a Castel Cupidski live here by chance?"

Kaz stiffened up as Reese danced around the truth, wondering if he was on to her. Too flustered to think clearly, Kaz replied by telling him the truth. "Oh! Uh, Caz? Y- Yeah… she lives here," she said, immediately kicking herself on the inside for having just said that.

"She does, does she? Is she available? I'd really like to speak with her if at all possible," said Reese with a welcoming smile on his face.

So far, there wasn't anything obviously wrong that signaled to Kaz that he knew, but she continued to remain on high alert. "Yeah… How did you know she lives here? She rarely tells anybody where she lives except very close friends, like me," said Kaz.

"Your friends with her? Oh! You must be the friend she mentioned who had good taste in weapons! The rapier you picked out for my Darling is absolutely gorgeous, much like herself," said Reese with a wily smirk, diverting attention away from the question of how he knew where she lived.

Kaz's guard dropped slightly after having been so pleasantly complimented. "It is a nice sword, isn't it?" she said while scratching the tip of her nose. "But anyway! Why do you want to see her so badly?"

Reese then pulled out Caz's glove. "I just came to return her dueling glove. She forgot it yesterday at the club," he said. "But she is her, right?"

Kaz's eyes lit up as she was relieved to see it, thinking she had lost it the night before. She then broke out of her thoughts and looked to Reese. "Yeah, she's here but I can just take the glove and give it to her later," she said.

As Kaz was about to snatch the glove out of his hand, Reese withdrew it. "Please, may I speak to her? I dearly miss her so and would love to return it in person," he said, giving her an artificial saddened expression.

Kaz just looked at him and pouted, unable to deny him such a request and continue hurting him like that. "Don't move or touch anything. I'll go get her, okay?" she said after a drained sigh. Reese graciously thanked her as she went into the back and up another set of stairs that led to the living quarters. She quickly transformed into her human form and changed clothes, heading back downstairs to the front of the store.

When Caz finally came through the doorway leading to the backroom, Reese smiled once more and greeted her with open arms. "There's my, Darling! So good to see you!" he said, still waiting for Caz to come around and give him a hug.

Seeing the gesture, Caz rolled her eyes and went over to him, giving him a big hug. "So, what brings you around here?" she asked, eager to get him to leave already.

Reese withdrew from the hug and showed her the glove in his hand. "Your dueling glove. You left it at the club yesterday," he said.

Caz feigned seeing the glove for the first time after having already seen it earlier as Kaz. "Oh! There it is! I thought I lost it," she said, taking the glove from him. "Yeah… Thanks, Reese. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Hon," said Reese as he placed his hands into his pants pockets, standing there with a smile on his face.

After a few awkward moments of just standing around together, Caz spoke up. "So… is that it, then? Don't you have to get back to work- doing whatever it is you do?" she said, almost revealing that she knew he was a City Watch detective when only Kaz knew that fact.

Reese shrugged. "I get to come and go as I please, so I'm in no rush," he said, continuing to stand there idly.

"Well, if it's not too much to ask, could you please go? I appreciate you coming all the way over here to see me, but I've got a lot of work to do and can't have you just standing around doing nothing," said Caz.

"Oh, so you work here as well?" asked Reese with a slight tilt of the head.

Caz realized she was still in her human form and sneered to herself since Kaz was the one who worked there and her alter ego. "Uh, yes. But not really. I just procure weapons and merchandise for the store and don't actually work here, so can you just leave already?" she asked, growing more irritated by the second.

Seeing that he clearly wasn't welcomed and that he was pushing his luck with her, Reese decided to leave, but not without pushing the envelope a little further before he did. "Okay, Hon. I won't distract you while you're at work any longer," he said as he held his hands up in front of him. "But before I go, I wouldn't mind saying goodbye to Ms. Kazuhara. She was a real big help yesterday and I'd like to thank her once more before I leave."

Caz just grimaced and glared at him right in the eye. "Really? You want to say goodbye to Kaz?" she asked.

Reese gave her a faux troubled look. "Is that a problem? Did I do or say something to offend her?" he asked.

Caz exhaled loudly and stomped back into the backroom. "Kaz! My stupid boyfriend wants to tell you how great your tail is!" she said to no one as she and Reese were the only ones in the building.

Reese just smiled at Caz's over-exaggeration and waited patiently for her to return. Soon enough, Kaz returned, wearing the same outfit she had on from before. "Okay, so what's this about my tail?" she asked, visibly annoyed with her hands on her hips.

"Ah, Ms. Kazuhara, there you are," said Reese as he turned to her.

Kaz raised a hand to him and stopped him before he could continue speaking. "Please, Kaz is just fine. Enough of this Ms. Kazuhara crap," she said.

Reese smirked and excused himself. "Sorry. Kaz it is then. I just wanted to thank you again for helping me in my investigation yesterday. It was a big help and I appreciate your assistance," he said.

"Okay. Cool. You're welcome. Now will you get going? I- WE'RE really busy and need to focus on our work, Re- Mister Detective!" said Kaz as she nearly lost her composure.

Reese got the idea and was going to leave, but first, he needed just one more thing. "Okay. I'll be on my way. But first, do you mind if I speak with my Darling, Caz, one more time?" he asked.

Kaz let out a tremendous sigh and scowled at him. "Whhhhhhyyyyy?" she asked, not wanting to transform and change for a third time.

"I really need to tell her something important, something for her and her only. Please?" said Reese as he placed his hands together. "After that, I will leave."

Kaz nearly burst with frustration but quickly got a hold of herself. She huffed then turned on her heel back into the backroom. "Caz, your annoying boyfriend wants to talk with you!" she said as she stormed up the stairs. There was loud rumbling coming from upstairs before footsteps were heard coming back down.

Caz burst through the backroom and slammed her hands on the counter directly in front of Reese. "What. Is. It!? We'll never get anything done if you keep interrupting us, so just-," she said before Reese suddenly came up to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. Upon feeling his lips on hers, all tension and frustration immediately left her body as she calmed down, moving into the kiss.

After Reese broke away, he gave her a warm smile. "That was it. I'll be leaving now," he said before exiting the store through the front door.

Once Reese was gone, Caz just remained standing there, tears starting to form in her eyes as a piercing pain struck her head.

Later that evening, Reese went to the club like usual and patiently waited for Caz to arrive. The appointed time of their usual meeting came and went with no sign of Caz anywhere in the club. After waiting for a prolonged period of time with her still not showing up, Reese began to get worried. He then decided to go check on her and headed out to see if she was okay.

When Reese got to her place of residence, the storefront was locked up, so he decided to try the side employee entrance. There was a faint light coming from Caz's room, so he figured that she was home. He stood in front of the door and knocked loudly to get her attention upstairs. After patiently waiting for a few moments, a tiny window on the door opened up, revealing Caz standing on the other side.

"Caz, are you okay? I didn't see you at the club today, so I came by to see if you were all right," said Reese.

Caz just looked at him, her eyes red and her cheeks damp with moisture. "I'm fine," she said simply, her voice monotone.

Based on her appearance, Reese deduced that she had been crying all this time. "Are you sure? You look like you could use a shoulder to cry on. I'll happily provide one, if you want," he said.

Caz began to sniffle then looked away. "I can't- I can't do this right now," she said while stifling her tears.

Reese stepped closer but Caz kept the door closed shut. "Can't do what? C'mon, talk to me," he said, beginning to get more worried about his girlfriend. "Is this about earlier? I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble by showing up at your place of work. I promise I won't do that again."

Caz wiped the tears away with her sleeve then looked Reese dead in the eye. "I- I'm breaking up with you," she said.

Reese felt a certain twist in his gut, as if someone knocked the air right out of him. "You're… what?" he asked.

Caz shook her head, unable to contain her crying. "It's not you, so don't worry. I just need some time to think, all right? So until I clear my head, consider us broken up," she said as she struggled on her words. "Don't come around here ever again and don't wait for me at the club. I won't be attending until I get all this figured out."

"But- But do we have to break up like this? I mean, I can help you get through whatever it is that's causing you so much pain," said Reese.

"No. You can't. Please, just do this… for me. Maybe we'll get back together again. Maybe not. I don't know. But until I figure this out, we're through," said Caz.

Reese was beginning to get emotional himself, but then calmed down and thought things through. As he stood there, he tried to put himself in Caz's position, something he often did with people while on the job as a detective. Going over everything in his head, he figured she was having trouble with deciding how to tell him about her dual-life and employment with the Guild. The Guild and the authorities weren't exactly good bedfellows. That was what made the most sense to him, so he gave her a nod and stepped back.

"If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," said Reese with a smile, trying to cheer her up.

Caz managed to crack a wry smile before slowly closing the door's little window. She then began her slow ascent up the stairs back to her room. Reese stood there for a few moments longer, going over everything in his head once more. He kept coming to the same conclusion, so he let Caz be and headed back home for the night, skipping out on the club as well. Even though it hurt, Caz wasn't completely gone and he was thankful for that. He figured she just needed some time, so until she was ready, he'd wait for her, no matter how long it took.

Inside her room, Caz was a complete mess as she flopped on her bed, switching back to her fox form with eyes still pouring a torrent of tears. Her mind was slowly deteriorating after having used her alternate human form too much. Before meeting Reese, she only went out on occasion, hitting up the bar or visiting the club. She never used to go out as much as she was currently, but after training with him and eventually becoming his girlfriend, she'd been using her disguise much more than she was supposed to. If only she could tell Reese the truth, then she could be around him in her normal fox form, but until she could rid herself of her Guild ties, she couldn't. Not yet. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to leave the Guild which only added to her internal struggle. Until she could figure something out, she'd have to take it easy on her human form which also meant staying away from Reese.

Over the next few days, Kaz remained at the Artistic Armory, conducting her business in the day and retreating to her room at night. She barely left the premises, and when she did, she went in her fox form. The first day, she was fine and she could already feel the side-effects of being in her human form for so long subsiding, but after that, her condition slowly began to worsen once more. It wasn't her mind that was being affected, but instead her heart. She sorely missed Reese and being around him. She couldn't bear the thought of being away from him any longer, so after a week, she went back to him to try and rekindle their relationship.

Caz figured it had been long enough, so she hurried on back to the club after work to find her love. Upon entering and looking around, she found him in the middle of a match in the main dueling area. She stifled a tear at finally seeing him again and went over, joining the crowd of spectators.

As Reese was fighting, his attention happened to wander over to the audience where their gazes met. Immediately after seeing Caz there amongst them, he dropped his weapon and went over to her, embracing her in a tight hug. His opponent backed down as he watched him embrace her lover along with everyone else there. Feeling him close, Caz began to tear up as she was about to explain herself until Reese quieted her down. He just held her close, telling her everything was going to be okay. Seeing as how they were making a scene, Reese retrieved his gear and walked out of the club with Caz, heading to somewhere more private.

#

After that night, the two got back together… then eventually broke up… then got back together once more. The cycle continued over and over as Caz's mind began to deteriorate over and over again, the recovery time taking longer the more she used her human form. She still couldn't tell Reese her secret and was torn up on the inside about it. All throughout the constant ocean of emotions, Reese remained faithful to Caz, enduring every heartbreaking break-up and eventual happy get-together. During their off periods, he always remained available for Caz and waited patiently for her return, not wanting anyone else except her.

It was the end of their recent fling and Caz had broken up with Reese once again, having been experiencing horrible headaches worse than anything she had encountered before. After breaking the news to Reese whom took it surprisingly well after having experienced so many, Caz headed on over to her favorite tavern for a drink. While she was there, she happened to spot a few unusual patrons: a seemingly male cat-person, two halflings, and a lizardman. She didn't pay them much attention as she sat there, trying to enjoy her drink.


End file.
